If you’re not familiar with Moscofilero (or Moschofilero), the start of summer is the perfect time to get to know this unique and wonderful white grape variety from Greece. And I am all but certain the 2019 Moscofilero from Domaine Skouras will get you hooked.
Grown throughout Greece, Moscofilero is one of the main white varieties in the Nemea region of the northeast Peloponnese, where Skouras has been producing it for several decades. Although familiar to some wine lovers, it’s overshadowed among Greek white varieties, most notably by Assyrtiko, the grape of the famed wines of Santorini.
One of the interesting things about Moscofilero is that its skins are pink-purple in color, unlike the yellow or straw color of most white varieties. As Skouras’s Moscofilero shows us, it produces aromatic, relatively high-acid, lower-alcohol wines (12 percent ABV in this case) that are ideal for warm-weather drinking.
Fermented in stainless steel tanks with no exposure to oak, this refreshing wine strikes a beautiful balance between fruit and floral aromas and tastes, with notes of green apple, apple skin, and white peach, accented by white flowers and violets. It also has lots of minerality on the long finish.
I am imagining sipping it in a Greek taverna with just-caught grilled fish or octopus, seasoned with nothing more than olive oil and a little salt. Chicken grilled with herbs would be great as well.
While Greek wine prices have gone up in recent years, Skouras’s Moscofilero is a true bargain at about $15. It’s complex yet easy to drink, an ideal kickoff to summer, and an escape to the Mediterranean — something most of us could use right about now.
